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The 2011 Election for Mayor of Evansville Polls

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Dan McGinn

Rick Davis

The 2010 elections results had not even been certified yet when aspiring candidates for Mayor of Evansville in the 2011 election started hinting of their candidacies. There has currently been one Democratic candidate formally announce, another hint at interest, and the Central Committee Chairman Mark Owen has admonished them all to sit quietly in deference to a potential announcement by current Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

Mr. Davis formally announced his candidacy at the Soldiers and Sailors Coliseum last Thursday to a vocal and supportive crowd that has been estimated at between 250 and 400. Recently defeated Vanderburgh County Assessor Jonathan Weaver has been quoted as interested in the office of Mayor but has not made any formal announcement.

The City County Observer conducted polls for each party nomination with a slate of could-be candidates that came from community at large. There are some familiar names of perennial candidates in the poll but interestingly there are some newcomer surprises as well. The raw data in order of preference from the polls is as follows:

Republican Nominee: Dan McGinn 198, Ira Boots 113, Russ Lloyd Jr. 108, Frank Peterlin 92, None of the above 62, Cheryl Musgrave 58, Lloyd Winnecke 44, and Joe Kiefer 16

Democratic Nominee: Rick Davis 200, none of the above 81, Steve Melcher 33, Jonathan Weaver & Jonathan Weinzapfel each with 31, and Troy Tornatta 5.

Multiple votes were not allowed and each poll was up for approximately 5 days. We take the polls down when the voting volume slows down to the point that it will not affect the outcome to leave it up.
We did put up another poll regarding our reader’s opinion of Vanderburgh Democratic Party Chairman Mark Owen’s assertion that “deference should be paid to Mayor Weinzapfel”. The results of this poll are as follows:

“Do you agree with Democratic Party Chairman Mark Owen that aspiring candidates for Mayor should grant deference to Mayor Weinzapfel?” No Votes: 185 Yes Votes: 25

It seems that the readers of the City County Observer are solidly of the belief that it is up to each candidate to craft their own strategy and to make their candidacy known to the public when they choose without paying homage to any sitting office holder while they casually make up their mind.
It is time to narrow the field so we have a new poll. This poll is between the top two vote getters from each party and is an “open” election.

Governor Daniels & Greg Wathen together on Trade Mission to Japan

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Greg Wathen

November 14, 2010

News Release

As Governor Mitch Daniels practices the East Asian ritual of gift-giving during his jobs mission through China and Japan, he is highlighting the work of students from the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis.

Pieces for this year’s trip were chosen through a partnership the state developed with Herron’s Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life. The center coordinates opportunities for student artists to collaborate with businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to create one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces, displays, public art installations and other art and design projects as part of the curriculum.

Earlier this year, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation worked with administrators from the Basile Center to offer students an opportunity to submit works of art representing Indiana that could be replicated for the East Asian gift-giving ritual. Thirteen students and faculty members presented pieces and Governor Daniels selected three for this year’s mission gifts.

Daniels’ final selections included a handcrafted ceramic vase, a wood Shaker-style box and a handmade silk scarf, which he is presenting to company executives and government officials during the trip.

“We’re always telling the story of Indiana’s business climate to our friends in China and Japan, and there’s no better way to share a small glimpse of the talent and ingenuity of Hoosiers than through these works, crafted by such talented Indiana artists,” said Daniels.

The ceramic vases, titled Blue Skies and Crossroads, were made by David Nagy, a Herron pottery student who will graduate next summer. Nagy is a native of Michigan but moved to Indiana to be near family after serving three years in the military.

Derrick Method, a furniture design student who graduated from Herron in May, created decorative boxes from reclaimed Indiana maple and cherry hardwoods. The pieces are constructed in the traditional Shaker style with bent wood, copper tacks and small wooden pegs and do not use any glue or adhesives. Method grew up in New Paris before moving to Indianapolis in 2008.

The governor also selected scarves made by textile artist and Herron assistant professor of printmaking, Meredith Setser. Setser taught courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Milwaukee School of Art and Design before joining Herron School of Art and design in 2006.

“Working with Governor Daniels’ team to design and craft original gifts for this year’s jobs mission has been an enriching, educational and cultural experience for our students, in addition to providing a powerful addition to their portfolios,” said Kathy Pataluch, director of the Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life. “No other art and design school in the country offers these types of opportunities, and we were thrilled to partner with the governor’s team on this one-of-a-kind project.”

Gift-giving is important in Japanese and Chinese business protocol, and emphasis is placed on this ritual. The exchange usually occurs near the end of a meeting. Daniels is presenting the pottery to the top executive for each company or governmental body he meets with on the trip. In addition to the scarves and wooden boxes, neckties in the state colors and notecards featuring Indiana nature photographs are given to other officials who attend the meetings.

The IEDC purchased the gifts using private contributions from the IEDC Foundation. No state funds are used to pay for the state’s overseas jobs missions.

The governor and delegation traveled from China to Tokyo on Sunday. They begin three days of business in Japan on Monday, including meetings with current customers, including the leadership of Toyota, Honda and Subaru. Greg Wathen of the Economic Development Coalition for Southwest Indiana is with Governor Daniels in Japan.

The Executive Inn Dilemma Continues: How Wide is a Parking Garage?

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View Larger Map

In the aerial photo above it is obvious that the Executive Inn parking garage is roughly twice as wide as the Executive Inn itself. So if a parking garage is 120 feet wide yet there is only 50 feet of footprint available how does one put a parking garage where the hotel was? We shall see.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the proposals to build a new Downtown Convention Hotel. It recently came to our attention that the proposals are all three instructed to consider the location where the Executive Inn parking lot currently stands. That seems like a reasonable location for a new hotel.

The question then comes up about just where will the approximately 400 parking spaces that the current garage has provided for the Executive Inn for many years will be located? In a recent debate one of the candidates suggested that the replacement parking garage could be located where the remainder of the Executive Inn currently sits. That is also a reasonable assumption. Being curious of nature we did a little research into the feasibility of laying out a parking garage on that site and were shocked to discover that there is not enough width available to put a traditional parking garage onto the remaining lot of the Executive Inn without infringing onto the new Arena.

Thus the question, how wide is a parking garage? becomes relevant. The basic answer is that the width is four parking places, two traffic lanes, and one turning radius wide. The answer to that question is about 120 – 125 feet depending on the size of vehicles that one wishes to accommodate. The next question then becomes, how wide is the Executive Inn? The answer is two rooms and a hallway or about 50 feet. Fifty (50) feet is not wide enough to accommodate a traditional parking garage. We have looked at every single parking garage in downtown Evansville and several other towns and they are all about 120 feet wide at their narrowest point. None of them are narrow enough to fit where the Executive Inn currently sits. We have another Executive Inn Dilemma to deal with.

The riddle of the day is, how do you put a 120 foot wide parking garage onto a 50 foot wide foundation? The answer is of course that you don’t. There are some things to consider that may just bail this problem out. Among them are the following.

1. Buy an adjacent lot to put the parking garage on and make the Executive Inn lot a loading dock. That would cause the City of Evansville to need to buy the lot with money that was not budgeted. How much?? Ask the owners of D-Patrick. They will gladly tell us how much.

2. Use the space above Walnut Street for parking with an entry where the entrance to the Executive Inn currently is. It is a more expensive solution than a traditional parking garage and will complicate the architectural task of integrating a new hotel to a parking garage with a structural overpass. There is potential for butt ugly here so the architects had better have their Tom Terrific thinking caps on.

3. Use an elevator type of auto lift like large cities use. These are very costly and slow but are the most space efficient parking structures available. This is impractical and expensive, but it is possible

4. Put the new hotel where the old one is and a new parking garage where the old one is. This is very practical and doable but it would require restarting the clock and eating a little crow on the part of whomever is planning this project. We wonder why the obvious solution was discarded on this dilemma.

There it is. We have another Executive Inn Dilemma and four ways out. The least expensive and most practical solution is the only one that is not possible unless the current course of action is changed.

It is a plus that the $18 Million that the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau was planning to spend on 8 ball fields is now available for other projects that assist in promoting tourism. The City of Evansville should not even consider any new capital projects until the Executive Inn Dilemma is completely solved. That solution must include a new Downtown Convention Hotel, replacement parking spaces, a loading dock, and a walk bridge to the Centre. Hopefully sometime in 2013 we will be cutting the ribbon to a complete solution to the Executive Inn Dilemma.

Applying the Medici Effect to Local Problems

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Applying the Medici Effect to Local Problems
By Joe J. Wallace

I was privileged this week to attend a seminar on creativity at USI, the subject of which was “The Medici Effect”, a term used by author and speaker Frans Johansson who invited by USI to conduct this seminar to present a deliberate way of seeking innovative solutions to problems. This seminar was in no way about the predictable progress made by making minor incremental adjustments to a proven entity; this was about the intentional juxtaposition of leading edge thinkers for the purpose of creating breakthroughs and transformations.

The name “The Medici Effect” comes from the Medici family of Florence, Italy who intentionally brought leading edge thinkers of the world to Florence to establish it as a center of thought and culture to rival that of Rome. Some of the notable people who spent time in Florence with Medici patrons were Michelangelo, Galileo, and Donatello. The family Medici brought the works of Plato from Constantinople to Florence and established the Platonic Academy along with the largest library in Europe at that time. The Medici’s literally nurtured the greatest thinkers of their age for the glory of family. The results were so transformational on a worldwide basis that the Medici’s are now often referred to as “the Godfather’s of the Renaissance”.

As I have an interest in solving problems on a local scale my thoughts while hearing about all sorts of ways that cross disciplined groups have created breakthrough solutions in undreamed of ways, my mind drifted to some very local problems. In particular, I was pondering the question of first, how can the Evansville region preserve the wealth under our ground in the form of abundant deposits of coal, and secondly how can we repair our dysfunctional sewer system in a less expensive yet sustainable way. Make no mistake, if both of these solutions come from an Evansville region company, the wealth and lifestyle of this region will be expanded greatly. If these solutions come from elsewhere or do not come at all it will be more fowl air and less prosperity for this place that we call home.

Conservative societies suffer much more from an affliction that is typically called associative barriers than free thinking societies do. An associative barrier is an ingrained belief that repetitive experience is valued over thought and people can be categorized. We are all guilty to some extent of seeking the comfort that associative barriers give us. It is natural for the human brain to seek the path of least resistance. That path of least resistance is what causes us to call a plumber when the drain is clogged or a doctor when our arteries are clogged. These skills are trained, predictable and serve us well in most cases where a proven solution already exists and we only need someone who is trained in that particular skill.

What do we do when our economy is clogged? What do we do when the EPA tells us to repair our sewer system and the existing solutions require us to spend hundreds of millions of dollars that we do not have? What do we do when pending legislation has the potential to turn the coal beneath our surface unusable and essentially worthless? I would respectfully suggest that calling an economist, a civil engineering firm, or an organic chemist is not the right answer.

The solutions to these types of problems require transformational yet practical solutions. This means thought followed by more thought and then followed by action. The “thinkers” that will eventually come up with these breakthroughs are likely to come from out of the blue without the debilitating associative barriers that traditionalists typically have. Mr. Johansson spoke of an architect whose team studied how termites built a mound that stayed constantly at 87 degrees in a hostile climate to get the inspiration to design a building in the same way. The result is a building in Africa that is 90% more efficient that previous buildings. That is the transformational power of tossing associative barriers to the curb and expanding the mind through opening up to the creative power of divergent thought.

People with low associative barriers, connect ideas or concepts that have very little basis in past experience. Such ideas are often met with resistance and statements such as, “If this is such a good idea, someone else would have thought of it.” But that is precisely what someone else would never have done, because the connection between the two concepts is not obvious and was not taught in their skills based training.

So, Evansville has two big problems both of which are in dire need of “outside of the box” solutions. Over 800 cities in America have the problems associated with Combined Sewer Systems. These 800 cities have all or will all be mandated by the EPA under the threat of fines to implement solutions to these problems. This is A HALF A TRILLION DOLLAR PROBLEM, with a guaranteed customer base. Is there a research group or a creative center in Evansville working on a solution to this problem?

The current estimate of the number of tons of coal in the United States by the National Academy of Sciences is 1,700 billion tons. In the future there WILL BE some legislation that will greatly devalue if not obsolete the value of this coal. Roughly 100 billion of those tons of coal are in the Evansville region. According to the US Energy Information Administration, Illinois basin coal is currently selling for about $48 per ton. That would make the coal reserves right here at today’s prices have a value of $4,800,000,000,000 (4.8 Trillion).

So, what happens to the $4.8 Trillion of this natural wealth if a breakthrough alternative energy technology makes it worthless? I would submit that this natural wealth will have the same value as confederate money does today when a transformational energy breakthrough happens. The way to preserve this wealth for our region is to INVENT OR INNOVATE our way to a solution that does something with our coal that renders it useful and clean forever. Our coal reserves are a major piece of this regions source of both jobs and wealth. Coal is our Fort Knox. If we do not do something about it our gold will be turning to dust.

In a panel discussion with the heads of Vectren, the Coalition for Economic Development, and two other leaders of the region the following question was asked. “What is the best example of collaborative innovation that is taking place in the Evansville region?” That question was met with a period of absolute silence. That silence is disturbing. We have plenty of problems, yet a hand-picked group who should be in the middle of seeking solutions went completely mute in the face of where innovative solutions of any kind were being worked on locally.

During prosperous times, it is easier to write checks than it is to use our minds to break barriers and seek solutions. Cash is not and has never been a substitute for innovative thought.

In Florence, the Medici family stepped up and invested their wealth in bringing world class creative thinkers of all disciplines to their city and launched the Renaissance. Evansville, Indiana can and should have such a think tank of innovation. If we can afford to spend $200 Million monuments to entertainment and to seriously consider spending $18 Million for little league baseball fields we can certainly afford to bring leading edge thinkers here to live. It is also possible that many good thinkers are already here and have an awareness of the problems that we are in need of solutions for. Creating an environment where creative people are attracted to come to this place to solve just these two problems has the potential to generate $3 Trillion of wealth. Why is this not at happening and why is it not at the top of someone’s to do list?

What Evansville needs is not only the ability to think outside of the box but the courage to cast the fear of failure aside and try living outside the box. You see, “it is of little value to Think Outside the Box, If you do not have the Courage to Live Outside the Box?”

IU Launches Economic Development Blog

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November 9, 2010

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University’s Office of the Vice President for Engagement (OVPE) has launched a new blog as part of a comprehensive and interactive social media strategy designed to serve as a key component of the Innovate Indiana initiative.

The new blog, created to engage and converse with IU faculty and staff, Indiana business leaders and IU alumni on matters related to economic development and technology commercialization, will be hosted by a number of IU officials, including Bill Stephan, who served as president and CEO of the Indianapolis Private Industry Council before becoming IU’s vice president for engagement in 2007, IU Assistant Vice President for University Relations and Engagement Kirk White, and Tony Armstrong, president and CEO of Indiana University Research and Technology Corp. (IURTC).

“Innovate Indiana is our description for the ways in which Indiana University is channeling our vast institutional resources to strengthen the Hoosier economy,” Stephan said in making the announcement.

The new blog is designed as a gateway for faculty and staff to converse, share and engage with each other, but it was also created with the external business community in mind. Ideally, the blog will become a key information hub for economic development and technology commercialization activities at IU and in the state. IU’s Office of the Vice President for Engagement is the central point of contact for Innovate Indiana.

Some of the first topics discussed at the newly launched site include a look at the Southeast Indiana business community asset know as the IU Regional Economic Development Resource Center (REDRC), based at IU Southeast, and also the IU Council for Regional Engagement and Economic Development (CREED), which was created as a tool to effectively connect all IU campuses and the communities they serve.

Source: Indiana University

Purdue to Offer Lean Six Sigma Classes in Evansville

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Purdue University has announced an opportunity for local businesses and professionals to add a valuable certification to their resume’. This opportunity will be offered in Evansville at substantial discounts to alternative certification entities and are tailored to a manufacturing economy? Please click on the link to see if you would like to gain an unfair advantage over your competitors?

Lean_Six_Sigma_Practitioner-_EvansvilleNWE

IS IT TRUE: November 12, 2010

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IS IT TRUE that Rick Davis true to form stood in the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Coliseum on Thursday night and announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Evansville?…that Democratic City Council members Connie Robinson, Dr. H. Dan Adams, and Don Walker were among those in attendance?….that over 200 people signed in at the registration table?….that the room where the announcement was made, the hallway, and even the foyer were quite full of well wishers?…that a rough body count would indicate that the crowd was closer to 400 people when those who did not sign in were counted?…that those well wishers included Democrats, Republicans, and a large contingency of Tea Party members led by Evansville’s Mr. Tea Party himself Frank Peterlin?….that Mr. Peterlin has been highly complementary of and encouraging Mr. Davis’s candidacy on Facebook lately?….that the next Mayor of Evansville will need broad support to handle the collection of problems in need of solutions that he or she will inherit on January 1, 2012?

IS IT TRUE that the Democratic Central Committee was not represented at Mr. Davis’s announcement event?…that the faces of Party Chairman Mark Owen, current Mayor and Gubernatorial hopeful Jonathan Weinzapfel, the group of City Council members that habitually vote as a block for whatever Mayor Weinzapfel supports were nowhere to be seen?…that Councilwoman Robinson while attending the event expressed her support for Mayor Weinzapfel?….that Councilwoman Robinson is wise to show respect and support for Mr. Davis, who may just become the next Mayor of Evansville?…that Councilwoman Robinson showed her independent spirit and good judgment in breaking with the block last March to cast her vote for strengthening the City of Evansville’s smoking ordinance?….that the next Mayor of Evansville will govern better with a City Council made up of independent minded people with cognitive skills and the courage of their own convictions?…..that blindly voting as a block by legislative bodies undermines good public policy for Mayors, Governors, and even the President of the United States?…that the City County Observer admires Rick Davis for his independence, his passion for Evansville, and yes his determined servant leadership?….that the CCO is pleased to see enthusiasm for a candidate who has endured attacks from within his own party yet has remained positive and focused?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau has suspended its attempts to win County government approvals to issue bonds against the Innkeeper’s Tax that would finance the construction of 8 little league ball fields at Wesselman Park and the site of Roberts Stadium for $18 million?…that when they put their thinking caps on like Tom Terrific they were able to identify $2 million worth of savings in one day?….that if they would have put their Tom Terrific thinking caps on everyday for a week back in April that they may have been able to identify $10 million in savings?….that such foresight and planning could have saved much of the $765,000 that has already been wasted on the plans for the Roberts Stadium site?….that a proposal for an $8 million project may have actually garnered support as opposed to ridicule for overpaying and maxing the Bureau’s credit card?…that the City County Observer is proud to have been part of the discussion process that returned this proposal to financial sanity?

Tom Terrific and his Wonder Dog

IS IT TRUE that the terms of the agreement offered to the ECVB by the Evansville Parks Department that took a perfectly acceptable $4.9M set of ballfields and added $12.6M of bailouts for the City of Evansville is what really undermined this project?….that other locations like the Goebel Soccer Complex or the Hamilton Golf Course will not come with such a laundry list of bailouts for the City of Evansville attached to them?…that a little more thinking and a little less rush to judgment based on ulterior motives may just yield a better and more efficient use for the $18M credit limit?

IS IT TRUE that we still don’t have an agreement in place for a Downtown Convention Hotel?… that we are really curious about the status of the bids that are soon due from the three interested developers?….that the opportunity to have a simultaneous opening of the Arena and a new Downtown Convention Hotel has lapsed?….that every day that there is no binding development agreement for a Downtown Convention Hotel is in place is another day that the ECVB and the Centre are handicapped in achieving one of their fundamental mandates to attract or retain conventions to Evansville?

IS IT TRUE, Part 2: November 12, 2010

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IS IT TRUE, Part 2: November 12, 2010

IS IT TRUE that after the recount that Kathryn Martin has been certified as the winner of the election for Knight Township Trustee?…that Mole #3 predicted that she would win?…that Mole #3 is still the undisputed King of the Molehill and retains the title of Nostradamus of Local Politics?

IS IT TRUE that there seems to have been a shake-up in management at SMG Evansville? …that the website of SMG Evansville lists one Sandie Aaron, Regional Vice President as the top ranking officer?…..that Todd Denk and Darren Stearns are listed on the website (www.smgevansville.com) as Assistant General Managers?…that the City County Observer is curious about the redeployment of Ms. Aaron back into power in Evansville from Pensacola?…that the CCO has recently reported on the number of events cancelled in the Centre?…that perhaps with the new Arena coming online in 2011 that SMG will be stepping its game up a notch?

IS IT TRUE that on November 22, 2010 the Evansville City Council will vote on a Resolution to allow the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to issue and sell $2 million dollars worth of bonds? …that these bonds will be paid off by using money received by the City of Evansville from property taxes? …that $500,000 dollars of the bond money is earmarked for renovations and upgrades to the City’s parking garages?….that the parking garages are located in the Downtown TIF District?….that improvements such as these could be paid for by use of TIF funds or Riverboat funds?….that the TIF funds and Riverboat funds are committed to the Downtown Arena project and therefore not available to upgrade and repair the parking garages?….that $1.5 million dollars of the bond money is earmarked to build six more houses as part of the Front Door Pride program?…..that of the 14 Front Door Pride homes already built, eight are unsold even though they can be purchased for a fraction of their approximately $200,000 cost?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Icemen have been chosen as the official hockey team of the new Evansville Arena?….that the Icemen brought Evansville a championship last year after a long drought of winning professional athletic teams?…that the Icemen are drawing capacity crowds of nearly 1,500 people to Swonder?….that winning sells tickets?…that Mayor Weinzapfel has projected that up to 100,000 spectators per season (3,000 per game)?…..that as winning sells tickets that the Mayor may just be very wrong in his projections?….that if the Icemen continue their winning ways and establish a tradition of championships that the attendance will be much higher than the 100,000 that the Mayor projects?…that the same goes for UE basketball?….that it is winning that made Robert’s Stadium a success and it will be winning and only winning that will make a financial success of the new Evansville Arena?

Youth Resources Grant Recipients Announced

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YR’s Make A Difference Grant Recipients Meeting Today at Youth Resources!

The seats are quickly filling up for the 2010-2011 Youth Resources’ Make A Difference Grant recipients’ meeting this afternoon, where recipients are learning more about pre- and post-evaluations and other required grant documentation from YR’s Jessica Fehrenbacher! What a GREAT GROUP!

Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana ‎2010-2011 YR Make A Difference Grant Recipients:

1. Bosse High School – Bosse Cares/Study to Win Program: The group wants to pair a Bosse athlete with a fourth or fifth grader at Glenwood. The focus will be on providing a positive role model for the younger students with an emphasis on reading and studying.

2. Bosse High School – Ronald McDonald House Project: The students in the Moderate Cognitive Disabilities Program want to prepare meals for the Ronald McDonald house and then deliver them to the facility.

3. Castle Community 4-H Club: Youth members will put together military Hero packs that will be sent to children/youth whose parent(s) are serving in Indiana National Guard and Reserves. The packs are a way to say thank you to the youth and their family for their loved one’s service.

4. Chandler Elementary School – Student Council: The council wants to create “Birthday” boxes for less fortunate children in the school. The box would contain a gift, wrapping paper, cake mix, cake pan, candles, icing, and spaghetti meal. The council members would pick out the gifts, sort the items, and pack the boxes.

5. Discovery Church Youth Group: The youth want to coordinate monthly group activities with the residents of the Riverwalk Communities. From November through May, the group will have a different activity every month.

6. Dream Center: The center has a youth program called S.H.I.N.E (Shining Hope in Neighborhoods Everywhere). This program encourages youth to give back to their community. The center has a “Feeding the Hungry” Food Basket Program that serves at-risk youth
and needy families in the community. Food baskets will be put together and delivered to families right before Thanksgiving.

7. Fairlawn Elementary School – Second Grade Buddy Program: The second graders at Fairlawn want to put together a buddy program at their grade level. Each month they will complete a different activity that promotes working together.

8. Fort Branch Community School – Student Council: The council members would like to host a kindergarten orientation, called “M & M” Math Night. They want to purchase educational books and kits for pre-kindergarteners. During the orientation, the young kids will meet faculty, take part in learning activities, and play a math game where they get to add and subtract m&m’s.

9. Glenwood Leadership Academy: The third, fourth, and fifth grade students will write letters and make holiday cards for their neighbors. They will then complete and “blitz” the neighborhood with the letters, kindness, ornaments, and potted plants.

10. Glenwood Leadership Academy/Hebron Elementary School: The first grade students at Glenwood and the fifth grade art students at Hebron will team up to explore the wetlands at Eagle Slough. The two groups will exchange letters, learn about birds, build nesting boxes, and create artwork.

11. Heritage Hills Natural Helpers: The high school and middle school helpers want to start a new program that welcomes new students. The goal is to help make the transition to a different school environment easier.

12. Patchwork Central’s Junior Helpers: The Junior Helpers program is a group of middle and high school students who serve as mentors/leaders for elementary students in the Arts & Smarts after-school program at Patchwork. The helpers want to sponsor a “Christmas Store” where they can help the elementary students get gifts for their families.

13. Resurrection School – Third and Fourth Grades: The students want to decorate pillows for children at Riley Hospital in honor of Clare Scheller. Clare is a Mater Dei graduate who is at Riley undergoing cancer treatment.

14. Scott School – Check-Out Program: Scott 5th graders will adopt 3 non-profit organizations and shop for items for the agencies. Students will be given a budget and will try to save the most money with the items they buy. They will then deliver the items to the three organizations.

15. Scott School – Scott Cares Program: The students from Ms. Cook’s class will plan a meal, purchase the ingredients, serve the meal, and visit with the volunteers and those people who come to eat at First Ebeneezer Church meal program. The students will also organize the food storage and clean up afterwards. They will also clean litter in the nearby park.

16. St. John School: The students have decided to support the Albion Fellows Bacon Center’s Never Alone program. Their goal is to make small blankets to be put in first responder patrol cars. The blankets will then be given to young children.

17. St. Joseph School (Evansville) – Student Council: Once a month, the students will prepare a meal for the residents of Ozanam Family Shelter. The meals will begin in October and run through May.

18. St. Joseph School (Princeton) – Third Grade: The class wants to host a Literacy Luau to bring families together for literacy awareness. They will have a dinner and activity stations for the youth.

19. St. Theresa School – Seventh Grade: The students want to complete the project “Blankets for Buddies” for their “2 and 4 legged” buddies. The groups will make blankets for animals at the Humane Society and for the residents of Lucas Place.

20. St. Wendel School – Fourth Grade Military Service Project: The fourth grade students at St. Wendel will connect with local soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. At Christmas and Easter, care packages will be sent to individuals serving in war areas. Throughout the year, letters will be written to the soldiers.

21. St. Wendel School – Second Grade “Operation Rudolph”: The second graders will plan, implement, and oversee a holiday party for children whose families have been separated by incarceration and who are now being housed at the Volunteers of America facility.

22. TSA Youth Group: The group has a project titled AIDS Holiday Project that meets the needs of lowincome families affected by HIV/AIDS in the Tri-State. At Christmas, they give food, gifts, gift certificates and clothes to the families affected by this disease. As part of this effort, they also wrap gifts at Barnes & Noble to raise money for this project.

The Youth Resources Make A Difference Grants, previously known as the Service Learning and Youth As Resources programs, provide grants for local youth-led service projects. These grants address real problems and enhance young people’s brain…storming, planning, budgeting, communication, teambuilding, and leadership skills. During the process youth learn practical applications to academic learning, use cognitive and social skills, develop future job skills, and realize they can solve community problems, which helps to build self-esteem.

127,389 local children and teens have been involved in 1,972 youth-led service projects and have received over $692,427 in grants from Youth Resources. More than 700 youth were directly involved in 19 Make A Difference Grants projects in the 2009-10 school year making a positive impact on nearly 5,800 others in their communities!

Applications are accepted each fall for grants ranging from $100-$1,000.

Youth Resources Make A Difference Grant Program is YR’s founding program and it was started by the National Crime Prevention Council as one of the three national pilot sites over 23 years ago! For more information please visit www.youth-resources.org or call 812-421-0030!

Ron Bacon, a “C” Student from Mater Dei Established and Nurtures A Family Business with a Legacy of Excellence in Service for SW Indiana

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Ron Bacon

Ron Bacon had no idea how much of a positive effect that a recommendation from Father Dewig would eventually have on his life when he was growing up on Evansville’s West Side. As a boy, Ron helped out his family working in Bacon’s Grocery that was established by his grandparents as Reif’s Grocery before being passed to the succeeding generation. Ron humbly admits that he was a life loving C student at Mater Dei, who concentrated more on life outside of the classroom than his teacher’s would have preferred. Despite his late start in appreciating academic rigor, he did have the duty and discipline to become an Eagle Scout.

Father Dewig, with a good eye for recognizing personal qualities, took young Bacon aside and recommended that he apply for entry to a training program in inhalation therapy at Deaconess Hospital. The good father had recognized a passion and energy for caring and service that perhaps Ron didn’t even recognize about himself at such a young age. Of the 120 applicants to the program, 4 were accepted, 3 graduated and today only one is still practicing. Ron Bacon became one of a very few people who was fortunate enough to find his life’s work at a young age. The C student was graduated from his program with flying colors and was onto a series of career steps that eventually lead to entrepreneurship and the founding of Freedom Medical in 1977.

Freedom Medical, under Mr. Bacon’s guidance provides its customers with home medical equipment and supplies. With an emphasis on exemplary service, patient comfort, and freedom to choose from many options, Freedom Medical offers an extensive line of oxygen delivery systems, hospital beds, manual wheelchairs, scooters, lift chairs, bath safety equipment, walking aids, incontinent supplies, diabetic shoes and supplies, braces and splints and of course respiratory equipment such as C-Pap devices and their accessories. Ron insists upon offering over 20 interface options to assure the most comfortable C-Pap experiences possible for the client base of Freedom Medical.

As much as Ron concentrates on the care and compassion involved in providing excellent products and around the clock services, he also is tasked along with his wife and daughters with the challenges of running a successful business. Despite the current challenges and the changing complexion of being a service provider in the medical business, Freedom Medical employs 25 people who have been extensively trained under Mr. Bacon’s tutelage to deliver the same caring competence that he demands for his clientele. Freedom Medical’s mantra of “we help make tough times easier” is easily recognized in Ron’s staunch refusal to compromise the quality of service that they deliver.

Ron Bacon, after a lifetime of excellence is still a “C” student. The “C’s” associated with Freedom Medical and with Ron himself are Care, Compassion, Competence, Choice, Confidence, and Commitment to service. From my perspective during my brief time with Ron at Freedom Medical, he should get an “A+” in all of those subjects that start with C. It is not easy to thrive or even survive in today’s business atmosphere. Freedom Medical would make Father Dewig along with Ron’s entrepreneurial parents and grandparents very proud.

This man of faith through dedication and compassion continues to make Evansville and Southwest Indiana a better place to live. Ron’s commitment to family and legacy business will continue. A succession plan is underway to assure that the medical expertise, the financial acumen, and the day to day operation of this business will stay in the Bacon family for the next generation.

To contact Ron or Freedom Medical drop by any of their locations between Boonville & Chandler at Highway 62 and Baker Rd, on Evansville’s Westside on Franklin St. near St. Joe, or in the Washington Square Mall. You may also visit their website at www.freedommedical.biz, or call toll free at 1-(800) 558-7620.

Contributed by: Joe J. Wallace, Hadannah Business Solutions, hadannahbusiness@aol.com.

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